


A Home You Never Expected to Have

by WrathoftheStag (Mwuahna)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Feeling like an Outsider, Fluff, M/M, The Graduation Kiss Never Happened, True Love, being in love, bitty in madison, but i don't care :D, jack in providence, making connections, super sappy, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 22:44:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14482821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mwuahna/pseuds/WrathoftheStag
Summary: What if Jack and Bitty didn’t kiss on Graduation Day? It only takes one phone call for feelings to come out.  A companion piece toHome, written from Bitty's POV.





	A Home You Never Expected to Have

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr user suzys85 asked very sweetly in her tags for Bitty's POV from the [_Home_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14469687) fic, which should be read first. So here it is. It gets a little sappy, but I do love my fluff and sap with these boys. xo

Bitty felt silly at first, sending Jack that package, but as he left UPS he knew Jack would appreciate the gesture. They’d gotten so close the last year, and he’d wanted Jack to know that even though they wouldn’t see each other as often Bitty would still like to be a part of Jack’s life. If only in a small way.

A few days later, Bitty had just finished putting the groceries away when Suzanne said that Moomaw had rescheduled supper for the following night.

“So you’re on your own tonight, Dicky,” Mama said, “Coach and I are going out.”

“Date night?” Bitty said with a grin.

“Yes, indeedy! We’re going to see _Jurassic World_. I know you and Coach have seen it already, but now it’s my turn. And then we’re heading to Uncle Julio’s for dinner.”

“Uncle Julio’s, huh? Don’t come back here stumblin’ after one too many frozen Margaritas. I don’t wanna catch you two smooching on the couch again,” Bitty teased.

“You hush, mister,” Suzanne said as she smiled. It was nice seeing his parents going for a night out, and even nicer to see them still in love and cozy.

Bitty had been away for so long, he’d forgotten how sweet his parents were together. He sighed and wondered if he would ever have that for himself one day, and would his parents be fine with it if he did?

Bitty plopped onto the couch and reached for his laptop on the coffee table. Maybe he’d catch up on his Netflix watch list? His phone began to ring. The _Oh, Canada_ ringtone signaled it was Jack. 

“What? Already lost without me?” Bitty said with a smile as he answered.

“Thanks for the help, Bittle.” 

“How’s it going?” 

“I got the clothes done—”

Bitty jumped in, “That’s because you don’t have any!” 

“I mean, other than a couple game day suits and my uniform, what else do I need?” 

Bitty rolled his eyes. “Savage. Please tell me your fashion sense won’t devolve any further and you’ll become one of those guys that wears socks with slides, and sweatpants everywhere. Soon, jorts will follow, and then you’ll be wearing carpenter pants, bless your heart.” 

“That’s pretty hypocritical coming from you. You own two pairs of Adidas slides, Bittle.”

Bitty laughed quietly and returned Jack’s volley. “But I wear them fashionably… not like some _sports heathen_.”

“Sports heathen? Nice,” Jack replied with a chuckle. “So, what do you have planned for today?”

“Hmm… well, Mama and I already went grocery shopping and we were going to see Moomaw tonight for supper but that switched to tomorrow.”

“Supper, eh?” 

Bitty could have poked fun at Jack’s very Canadian, “eh” but let it slide. “You hush, mister.” He melted a bit as he heard Jack laugh on the other end of the line. “So I was just going to hang out and relax. Maybe watch something? I don’t know.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Not knowing sounds nice?” 

“No, I mean, being able to relax,” Jack replied. Bitty heard a small sigh then Jack asked, “What are you going to watch?” 

“ _Seeking a Friend for the End of the World_. It’s on Netflix and I’ve been meaning to see it forever, but never got around to it.”

Bitty opened his laptop and pulled up Netflix. He loved Keira Knightley and a good rom-com, even if it was a sad one, was just what the doctor ordered on this night. While Bitty, for the most part, had made peace with the idea that there would never be anything beyond friendship with Jack, a boy was still allowed to wallow in self-pity and cry over onscreen romance. It was his god given right.

“Can I watch with you?”

Bitty furrowed his brow. “Like, with me? While we’re on the phone?”

“Yeah, if that’s okay?”

Dear lord, really? Seeing a romantic movie and drowning in self-pity and heartache was quite different from seeing a romantic movie with the said cause of the self-pity and heartache.

“Course it is. Why don’t we get some snacks ready and reconvene in 20 minutes? Sound good?”

“It takes you 20 minutes to get snacks, Bittle?” 

“If you must know, I also have to use the little boy’s room AND get snacks, Mr. Nosey.”

Jack laughed. “Okay, fair enough. Talk to you in a bit.”

Bitty sat up and tossed his laptop aside. He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled a whoosh of air. 

“Shit. You can do this, Eric. It’s just Jack and nothing has changed. Nothing’s gonna change. Pull yourself together, boy.” 

He sat up and made his way to the kitchen, just then Coach walked in.

“Hey, there, Junior,” he said as he offered him a high five.

Bitty smirked. “Hey, Coach.”

“Your mama upstairs?”

“Yes, sir. She’s getting ready for a hot date she has tonight.”

“Oh yeah, with who?” Coach said with a grin as he poured himself some sweet tea.

“Didn’t say, but I think she really likes him. Mentioned something about getting gussied up to go forth and sin.”

Coach guffawed. “Don’t let your mama hear you talking like that.” 

Bitty shrugged with feigned innocence. “What? I have no idea what you mean.”

Coach smiled, put his glass on the counter and went upstairs. 

Bitty’s mirth died when he realized there was a chance that sort of joking wouldn’t go both ways. Could Coach good-naturedly tease Bitty about his dates? Would that ever happen? And at that moment, Bitty remembered how much he hated being home. Was it even his home anymore? 

Bitty opened the fridge and fixed himself a plate with cheese, apples, crackers, some grapes and a bag of potato chips. He grabbed a can of La Croix, put his laptop under his arm, and went up to his room.

He stopped by his parents' room and knocked on their door.

“I’m gonna watch a movie and be on the phone in my room so if I don’t see you before I leave, have a good time,” he called out.

Suzanne opened the door. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she was wearing lipstick. Bitty smiled at his pretty mama.

“Sounds good, sweetheart. There’s some leftover casserole too if you’re still hungry later.”

“Thanks, Mama.”

Coach walked out of their ensuite with a towel around his waist, fresh from the shower.

“Oh boy,” Bitty laughed. “That’s my cue to get outta here!”

Coach did a funny dance and Bitty shook his head and laughed even harder. “Have fun,” he called out.

Bitty entered his bedroom and closed the door shut with a gentle kick of the foot. He put his plate down on the bed, fluffed his pillows, set Bun in a funny pose lounging next to him and finally reached for his phone.

Jack picked up on the third ring.

“Okay! I am ready, steady, go. You all set, Mister?” Bitty said without a hello.

“I have a PBJ à la Bittle, some carrots, hummus. I’m good to go.”

“Aw, you’re eating my food. That makes me feel good.” 

Bitty imagined Jack making himself a sandwich, and he hoped that Jack could feel how much love and support Bitty was sending him through his food. And it really did thrill Bitty to know that at that very moment, he was feeding Jack.

“It’s good, Bittle. I can taste the maple.” 

Bitty laughed at Jack’s monotone. Just one of the many _Jackisms_ he loved. 

“Good, huh? Coming from you, I guess that’s high praise. I just pulled up the movie on my laptop. You ready?”

“Are you sure this is what you want to see?” 

“Well we’re not going to see _Slapshot_ or _Miracle_ , I’m telling you that right now.”

“No, it’s fine. I… never mind. I’m ready.” 

Bitty frowned, what was wrong with Jack? Bitty could sense something was up with him. The movie began and Bitty concentrated on doing his best to make Jack get out of whatever funk he might be in.

“Ugh, she needs to dump his ass!” Bitty said as Penny’s boyfriend used her a human shield. Jack laughed as Bitty continued with his commentary. He told Jack he related to the character of Dodge, and how it felt to be an outsider in your own life. How incredibly isolating that could be, even while you’re surrounded by people who care about you.

They continued to watch and Bitty felt at ease and content. It got him to thinking about what it meant to feel happy—to make someone feel happy. If two people shared that, was that enough?

“What would you do if you knew the world was ending in a couple weeks?” Bitty asked.

“Would hockey be too predictable an answer?”

Bittle laughed. “Really, Jack? And yet, I’m not surprised. We should find out if there’s a Zamboni granddaughter we can hook you up with, so at least you have a final fling before the end.” That comment was like a taking a bullet, but Bitty marched on. 

“Haha, Bittle. Very funny,” Jack replied, totally deadpan.

“I think, I would like to spend my last two weeks baking for everyone I love. We’d have elaborate meals each night. And I wouldn’t wash a single dish. I’d just throw them out after every meal.”

That was exactly how Bitty would like to go out—surrounded by friends who knew him, the _real_ him. He’d feed them all, and they’d laugh and embrace one another as the end drew near. He’d toss the dishes out the front door aiming them at the LAX house.

“And I’d want to be with the ones I love, all of us in one house. One haus? House? Who knows. But we’d just eating and laughing and dancing. And on that last night, we’d say goodnight and that would be that.”

And if Jack was the main person Bitty would laugh and dance with, well, that was for him and him alone to know.

“That sounds perfect, Bittle.”

They remained silent for a few moments as the movie rolled on.

“Speaking of homes. How’s it going there? Really. Truly. Is it starting to feel like it’s yours?”

“It has my things. My name’s on the lease... I guess it’s as mine as it’s going to be.”

This broke Bitty’s heart. He knew how Jack was about new places and experiences; how long it took him to settle in and feel comfortable. 

“But what can you do to make it a _home_? To make it feel like home?”

“I’ll get used to it soon enough, I guess. Once I start throwing my gear around all over the place, it’ll feel like I belong.”

It tore Bitty up to think that Jack felt like a stranger in his own home. He absolutely related.

“Being back in Madison, I feel anything but belonging,” Bitty sighed. “It’s like I climbed back into hiding and I’m suffocating sometimes… I love Mama and Coach. I swear, I do. But I don’t love who I am when I’m here.” Bitty bit his bottom lip and tried not to dwell on that too much.

“I’m sorry, Bittle. It’s terrible having to hide who you are.” 

“It really is. I just want to be true to myself,” Bittle added after a beat. He then felt bad for making this about himself. He was supposed to make Jack feel better. 

One of Bitty’s most favorite things in the world was the ability to make Jack laugh. Hearing Jack’s rich, full laughter—and knowing he was the cause, well there was almost nothing better. Bitty reached for a chip and the obnoxiously loud crunch startled him as he immediately began to laugh.

“What the hell was that?” Jack asked.

“Potato chip,” Bittle replied and laughed even louder.

“Haha. Nice.” 

The two continued watching, mostly in comfortable silence. Bitty could hear Jack breathing and wondered if Jack was in his living room, or spread out in his new bedroom across his bed. He felt his cheeks burn at that image.

Bitty cleared his throat and spoke. “Lord, I can’t believe she’s helping Dodge find his ex. Clearly, Penny and Dodge belong together. It’s their fate.”

He heard Jack take a deep breath. “So you believe in soulmates, Bittle?”

Bitty began to wonder if Jack was actively trying to murder him. What do you say when the boy you are head over heels for, the boy that also became one of your very best friends, the boy who makes you feel whole and right, asks if you believe in soulmates? 

What could he possibly say that wouldn’t betray his every thought about Jack to Jack? Bitty gripped his phone tightly, as he closed his eyes and tried to calm his rapidly thudding heart.

“Yes,” he answered at last. “I think there are some people that are just meant to be—but maybe, for whatever reasons, they just never get together. And that’s just the saddest thing ever. Isn’t it?”

“I guess.”

“You’re such a romantic, Jack,” Bitty added with a soft teasing laugh. This boy had no clue, and for that Bitty was thankful.

Still… a part of Bitty wondered. He wondered if Jack felt even a smidge of what Bitty felt. Did he feel that connection? Could Jack see the way Bitty looked at him—and tried not to look at him? Could he see the longing? Did he realize the amount of love Bitty gave him in his own small way at every opportunity?

“Have you ever been in love?” Bitty finally asked as he sat up; his laptop slipped off to the side. Jack remained silent, and Bitty was terrified he had crossed some sort of line.

“Jack?” 

On screen, Dodge made his final declaration to Penny, “ _It couldn't have happened any other way. It had to happen now… I'm scared. I... am madly in love with you_.” 

“Jack?” Bitty asked again as he felt the tears begin to build.

“Yes,” Jack said. “I’ve been in love.”

“Oh?” Bitty said in a near whisper.

“I’m in love right now,” he said, voice low and husky.

“She’s a lucky girl,” Bitty replied as he felt his world begin to collapse within itself.

Jack released a small sigh and laughed softly.

“Do… do I know her?” Bitty asked.

“There is no _her_ , Bits. It’s—it’s you... I’m sorry it took me this long to see.”

Bitty tried to smother the sob which fought its way out.

“When you asked me about home earlier, it hit me that when I thought about home and what could make a home… I thought of you. You, Bits.”

Bitty sniffled as the tears fell.

“I love you,” Jack said calmly, “I’m in love with you.”

Bitty laughed and wiped at his face as Jack continued, “I hope that’s okay… and if it’s not, I just wanted you to know. I just. I don’t want to lie to myself about this, or you—” 

Bitty exhaled and replied, “I think that’s plenty okay, Jack Laurent Zimmermann.”

“You’re home, Bitty. You’re my home and I hope I can be yours.”

Bitty smiled a most perfect smile, still in shock at the turn of events. How was this even possible? How can one boy get everything he’s ever wanted? He laughed again, took a deep breath and immediately thought of the future. With Jack. Without a doubt or question. Without fear. Jack. Always Jack.

“I can’t wait to come home, sweetheart. I can’t wait.”

**Author's Note:**

> All OMGCP characters belong to the wonderful Ngozi.


End file.
